As embedded systems engineers, we work in a field that is constantly changing. Not only does change come quickly, the amount of work and the skills we need in order to successfully do our jobs is constantly expanding. A firmware engineer used to need to know the microcontroller hardware and assembly language. Today, they need to know the hardware, several languages, machine learning, security, and dozen other topics. In today’s post, we are going to look at five ways to expand your skillset and stay ahead of the game.

Tip #1 – Take an online course

Taking an online course is a great way to enhance and add to your skillset. If anyone tries to tell you that you don’t need additional coursework don’t let them fool. I’ve often been called an expert in embedded systems, but just like everyone else, I need to take courses to learn and maintain my skillset. In fact, just this week I took a course on Test Driven Development taught by James Grenning, the expert in TDD. I’ve been playing with TDD on and off for several years but despite that familiarity, working with an expert in a subject matter will dramatically improve your skills. I was able to pick James’ brain on TDD, enhance my skills and walked away with several action items to work on over the next several months.

Start by identifying an area of your own skillset that is deficient, rusty or even an area that you want to just move to the next level in. Then find the expert on that topic and take an online, interactive or self-paced course with them. (I won’t mention my own courses that you can find here … ooopps! 😉 )

Tip #2 – Read a book

Books can be a great way to enhance your skills. There are dozens of books on embedded system design that can easily be found at any bookstore or online. Some books are better than others. I’ve started to write-up reviews on the books that I’ve read in order to provide you with recommendations on books. This is just in its infancy and can be found at: https://beningo.com/?s=book (I’ll be adding a category in the near future to the blog).

You might also want to check out Jack Ganssles book reviews as well which you can find at: http://www.ganssle.com/bkreviews.htm

Books that I am currently working through myself that I’ve been finding to be fantastic so far include:

• TinyML
• Clean Code
• The object-oriented thought process

Tip #3 – Watch a webinar

Webinars are a great way to get a high-level understanding of a new skill or topic. I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t get an advertisement for a webinar in my inbox. Unfortunately, all webinars are not created equal. I’ve come across many webinars that sound fantastic, only to later discover that they are totally marketing focused with little real technical information. I produced anywhere from 8 – 12 webinars per year and always try to include high-level theory, some low-level details and then a practical example through a demonstration. It doesn’t always work out that way and every now and then they undoubtedly flirt with being marketing versus technical, but I always try to make sure that developers get what they need and know where they need to go to dive deeper.

Over the coming months keep a close eye on webinars as a potential source to enhance your skills. I know that I’ll be attending several on Bluetooth Mesh networking (hoping they aren’t pure marketing pitches), and I will also be pulling together several of my own.

Tip #4 – Build something for fun

There is no better way to learn a new skill than to do something! I’ve always found that people who attend my webinars, courses, etc learn more if there are demonstrations and hands-on materials. It’s great to read about machine learning of continuous integration servers but unless you set one up, it’s just theory. We all know that the devil is in the details and applying the skill is what sharpens it.

I highly recommend that developers build something for fun. More than a decade ago when I wanted to learn how to design and layout PCB’s and work with USB firmware, I decided that I was going to develop a USB controlled light bar. I went through an accelerated development schedule and designed schematics and a PCB, had it fabricated and then hand soldered the parts. I wrote all the firmware and eventually had a working device. I learned so much building that simple light bar and even used it for as an example during interviews when I was looking for a new job (this was before I started my business).

Even today, I will still pick a project when I want to learn something. When I was evaluating MicroPython I built an internet connected weather station. It forced me to exercise many details and forced me to solve problems that I otherwise might not have considered if I hadn’t dived into the deep end.

Tip #5 – Find a mentor

The times that I’ve accelerated my understanding of something the most has usually been under the guidance of a mentor or coach. Someone who has mastered the skill you are trying to work with, has made every mistake and can share their wisdom. It’s certainly possible to learn and advance without a mentor but having feedback and the ability to answer a question and then get an educated response can dramatically accelerate the time involved. That’s one of the reasons why I often host interactive webinars and even have a coaching and trusted advisor offering for my clients. It’s just extremely helpful!

Conclusions

No matter how good you are at developing embedded software, hardware and systems, if you don’t take the time to update your skills then within just a few years you’ll find that everyone else is passing you by. You’ll be less efficient and find that you are struggling. Continuing education is critical to engineers to ensure that they are up to date on the latest and greatest practices and contribute their products success.